Los Angeles daily herald., 1887-09-14
COUNTY ASSESSMENTS.
Correspondence with the state
Hoard of EUuaIiZatiOn.

sent the following reply:
OFFICE STATE BOARD OF EoUALIzA-I
TIoN,
| SACRAMENTO, September 6, 1857
Eugene Germain, President Board of
Trade, Los angeles:
DEAR SIR The State Board of
Equalization received a telegram, pur-
porting to be from you as the repre-
sentative of the Board of Trade of Los
Angeles. Apprehensive that, posi-
bly,, the telegram had not been
submitted for your approval a copy is
sent to you herewith.
We beg leave to call your attention
to the language expressed in the dis
patch, which assumes that this Board
is not fully advised us to the assess
ment of various counties named
therein, or, being 50 advised, there is
such doubt in your mind whether the
Board will do its duty as to call for an
interference on the part of the Board
of Trade, We beg to suggest that
from the LIST of March to the 1st of
August the various members of the
Board have been travelling over the
State, and have thoroughly examined
the assessments of all the counties of
the State, and feel perfectly confident
that they are in possession of sufficient
data upon which to found a judgment
as to the proportion of full value at
which the same is made.
We are grateful that the Board of
Trade has been supplementing the
labors of the Board OF Equalization at
| of Fn,4
as is necessarily entailed by the inves
tigation of the counties of the State
sufficient for business and fair minded
men to found an opinion upon.
No doubt the information upon
which you express so positive an opin-
ion that San Francisco's assessment
should be $500,000,000 is 50 precise
and conclusive as to be OF great assist
ance to this board, and we would be
gratified to have the same for our con-
sderation.
By order f. w. MAsLIN, Clerk
In answer to this Eugene Germain
sent the following letter yesterday:
PRESIDENT GERMANS ANSWER.
To The Board of Equalization, iSacra-
mentO, Cdl.:
GENTLEMEN: Your esteemed favor
of the 9th instant was duly received.
Absence from the city from the Sth
until to-day has prevented me from
giving your communication the atten-
tion it deserved. Replying this morn
ing, permit me to say:
| That you have misconstrued the
tenor OF my telegram of the 5th inst,
for fully cognizant of what it con-
tanned, and the tenor of it having been
decided upon at a meeting of this
Board. l signed it in my official
capacity as President of the Board,
and had Mr.. Lawrence, our Secretary,
sign it also. The general impression
here is that the assessment of this
county is out of proportion to other
counties in the central portion of the
State, and in our telegram there can
be found (in my judgment) no rehec-
ton whatever upon your honorable
Board, but simply a suggestion to
your Board which we would be pleased
to see acted upon, viz: either raise
the assessments of the central counties
proportionately to compare with that
of Los Angeles, or scale ours down
proportionatelyt to theirs. We assumed
not upon actual figures, for we
have none at hand, but from
information and belief that the assess
ment of the central counties did not
show eliminating all question of a
boom) correct valuation, and under
that impression our telegram was for
warded. Your Board is the Court of
Last Resort, and it rests entirely with
you to either confirm the views preva-
lent here among our people in respect
to this question or not. This Board of
Trade endeavors only in its official ca
pacity to reflect these views, and if by
our representations to you, after you
have given them careful consideration,
you do not deem it within your power
to confirm them, we have nothing
more to do. We are working for what
we deem the interests of our country,
and if we can make your Honorable
Board look at this question from our
point of view, we deem we have done
our duty. l quote two instances of
| the way our assessments have been
made, and understand they are but
examples ofmany. The Alamitos ranch
has been appraised on account OF the
estate of J. w. Bixby, 10000 acres, at
$3.50 per acre the Assessor assessed
the same at $15 per acre. Col. r. S.
Baker bought OF John Tachmacher
last December 120 feet on Main street
on very easy and long terms, at low
rate of interest, for 100000; the As
SCISSOR assessed the same property at
over $4,000.
Now we claim whether we are
right or not, it is for your Board to de-
termine) that if San Francisco valua-
ton should be assessed in that way,
her assessment would be between four
hundred and five hundred millions, l
do not claim that it should be so, or
must be made so, still we would like
your Board to consider our statement,
and ascertain if the facts would sub
stantiate our views. In conclusion let
me assure your Board, without any
reservation, that this Board of Trade
in no way directly or indirectly in
tended to reflect upon the integrity
of your honorable body, or to intimate
in the slightest degree that you would
not to the best of your information,
and in the light of your varied expert
ence in dealing with those questions,
do what was right and just in respect
to this question, but we took this form
of addressing you, assuming that as
public officials, and as Board whose
power is practically unlimited, that
we had the privilege of addressing
you on behalf OF our people, being en-
tirely satisfied that you would consider
our suggestions and act upon it as you
deemed best. Very respectfully your
obedient servant,
(Signed) EUGENE GERMAN,
| President.